Drum Riser (stage)

One of my other hobbies is to play bass and lead vocals in a classic rock cover band. Over the years when we look at pictures of the band our drummer Jeff is always hidden from view so I set out to build him a fold up drum riser.

The platform itself consists of three pieces of plywood that are hinged together. The center piece is 3’x6’ and each side wing is 2’x6’ with an angle cut in the front. The riser is supported by twelve 5 gallon paint buckets that sit upside down. I routed grooves into the bottom that the lips on the buckets fit into. To hold them in place when it is flipped right side up I expoxied machine screws into it and use fender washers and wingnuts to hold them in place during the flip. Once it is in an upright postion the weight of the platform, drums and drummer hold it in place. The whole thing is covered with indoor outdoor carpet with wooden lips attached on the edges. It is very stable. I had some plywood and carpet left over so I also made a quick 3’x2’ riser for my guitar player Jamie to put his amp on. I draped the front with more of the carpet attached with Velcro. All told it takes about 5 minutes to set up and folds up for fairly easy transport and storage.

We used it for the first time at practice last week and Jeff gave it two big thumbs up. I also like the fact that it puts him at eye level with the rest of the band.

When we play out I will use some rope lighting to add some pizazz.

-- Anthony - "The blacksmith and the artist, reflect it in their art. They forge their creativity, closer to the heart"